Baxter Library

Portland, Maine

The Baxter Library served as the principal public library for the city of Portland from 1889 until 1979. This handsome Romanesque Revival style building was designed by Francis H. Fassett (1887 main block) and John Calvin Stevens (1928 addition), two of Portland’s most prominent and prolific architects. The Baxter Library was acquired by the Portland School of Art (now the Maine College of Art) in 1983 and functioned as classroom space and offices for the school until 2008. A certified rehabilitation was recently undertaken to convert the building to offices for a single tenant. The use of federal financing resulted in a Section 106 review for the project.